As Ohioans begin to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and cases are currently trending down, funeral directors remain concerned they are being left exposed to the virus.
“Burials, as well as cremations, are up significantly right now,” Tracy McAdams, funeral director at Schoedinger Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, said.
Michael Schoedinger runs one of the oldest funeral homes in the state.
“We are experiencing several covid deaths per day,” Schoedinger said.
More than 11,000 people statewide have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic started. More deaths lead to more funerals.
Funeral directors say that also leads to a greater risk of exposure.
“We've experienced our own amount of quarantining and that's been a toll on our staff as well,” McAdams said.
10TV obtained an email from the Franklin County coroner notifying funeral directors of a confirmed case of covid post-mortem.
A person who dies, even when they are embalmed, can still test positive for the virus.
“This just makes everything much more difficult,” McAdams said.
In a January 22 letter to Governor Mike DeWine, the Ohio Funeral Directors Association wrote:
"While funeral directors do comply with CDC guidelines and state orders, the potential for being a hub for the spread of this virus is genuinely concerning...we strongly urge the Governor to correct this oversight as soon as possible and amend Phase 1B to include funeral directors, embalmers, and their staff for immediate vaccine distribution."
“Funeral homes were 1A getting the vaccine which should be now and yet we don't have it," Schoedinger said. "My plea is funeral directors are on the front line, embalmers are on the front line dealing with deceased and living people are highly contagious and we are not able to get the vaccine for a while."
DeWine has not decided if funeral workers will be added to the vaccination list. He was asked the question Thursday at his briefing on the virus.
“People who do embalming make a very good case and we are reviewing that right now,” he said.
Ohio has more funeral homes than most of the entire country. The state ranks fourth in the nation with more than 1,000-- behind Texas, New York and Pennsylvania.
Yet, the state has no immediate plans to add these workers to the vaccination distribution list.
The state says it must weigh a small supply of the vaccine with a much larger demand to vaccinate the state's elderly population.
Meanwhile, these front line workers continue to do their job carrying for the dead, while providing as much safe comfort as they can for grieving families.